Luo Zhang became excited as soon as he heard that he could fight. His eyes shone and he was eager to try. He confirmed: "Uncle, are we really going to fight? That's the prince."
"If the sky falls, I will hold on to it. The worst we can do is leave the Tang Dynasty. The world is so big and there are plenty of places to stay. Are you afraid?" Qin Huaidao asked in return.
"As long as uncle is not afraid, I am afraid of him!" Luo Zhanghun said nonchalantly.
"Go ahead and be careful!"
"Understood." Luo Zhang hurried away.
Cheng Chumo said worriedly: "Brother, are you... really not afraid of something happening?"
"Don't you feel aggrieved by him?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"It's really frustrating, but he is the prince after all."
"Do you still remember Shen Sanshi's concubine? She lived like a knife in the hands of others, because her family had to obey, and she lived an aggrieved life. But before she died, she longed for justice. I have no family, why should I live an aggrieved life? In this world There is no fairness at all, but why should I feel aggrieved?" Qin Huaidao asked.
Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin exchanged glances, feeling that Qin Huaidao had become a little different, but it was about the prince, so the two of them were not easy to talk to, and they didn't know how to talk.
"You two don't get involved in my personal affairs." Qin Huaidao said. We all have families and families, so we can't harm our brothers. He changed the topic: "Our Supervisory Office has lost a game. I am not willing to accept it. Those bastards behind the scenes may be behind. Snickering, do you two dare to go crazy with me?"
"What do you think we should do?" Cheng Chumo asked.
"Just do it, what are you afraid of?" Yuchi Baolin also expressed his stance.
The two of them agreed without knowing what to do. This trust made Qin Huaidao feel grateful and asked: "How much grain do the three grain merchants' shops have?"
"After a rough check, the total is estimated to be about 100,000 dan." Yuchi Baolin said.
"There are still 100,000 shi left from 300,000 shi. A full 200,000 shi have been sold. You have also seen the ledger. It is three cents per dou. When it is brought to the market, it changes hands for six or seven cents. Recently, the price of grain has soared. It has been sold for Ten Wen, that is to say, the average profit per bucket is more than five Wen. Two hundred thousand shi is a profit of ten million Wen, which is equivalent to twenty thousand taels of silver. This is still the lowest estimate. These people are too greedy." Qin Huaidao said angrily.
"You don't want to rob them, do you? You can't do that. If you want to do it, you have to do it secretly. It will be very troublesome if you are exposed?" Cheng Chumo quickly reminded.
"Nonsense, do you know how many carriages the three grain merchants have? Have you counted them?"
The department did not know about this. The main statistics on the scene were Yuchi Baolin. Yuchi Baolin took the words and replied: "Each family has about two hundred carriages, all using mules and some donkeys. There are more than seven hundred in total, and maybe eight hundred. No, brother, what on earth are you going to do?"
Qin Huaidao made a quick calculation in his mind. It was freezing cold and the roads were difficult to travel. The waterways were frozen. It was not feasible to transport grain from other places to Chang'an to stabilize grain prices. Fortunately, Guanzhong was also a large granary. The twenty-two counties of Jingzhao Prefecture were thrown out of Chang'an. There are still 20 counties and Wannian counties. There is no reason why they are all short of food. The average purchase of 10,000 shi in a county is 200,000 shi. It is mid-November. After two months, spring will almost begin. People can dig wild vegetables and mix them with it. Eat it mixed with grains.
Investing 200,000 shi in Chang'an can almost enable 300,000 people to buy a pound of grain every day for two months. As long as 300,000 people don't have to worry about food for two months, it means that 300,000 people will not buy grain from other grain merchants.
, it is impossible for other grain merchants not to be anxious, and the price of grain can be brought down.
A large cart is counted as ten dan, and a thousand carts can pull 10,000 dan in one trip. It can be completed in twenty days and put on the market on a rolling basis. It can keep up with the market. This method is feasible, but it requires the cooperation of the court.
The three of them walked in a hurry and soon arrived at the Duke Liang's Mansion. Fang Xuanling happened to be returning home from duty. When he saw the three of them coming in a hurry, he was stunned for a moment and asked, "Are you three looking for me?"
"I've met Shibo." The three of them saluted quickly.
"Come into the house and talk." Fang Xuanling invited, feeling satisfied and puzzled in his heart. Not long after they met, he came back and looked wrong. Could it be that something had happened?
After entering the house, Fang Xuanling led the three of them directly to the study, motioned for everyone to sit down and asked: "Huaidao, tell me, did something happen?"
"Shibo, what did the Holy One say?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"I can only agree to the joint trial of the three divisions. The Holy One is worried that you will be hit. Are you okay?"
"This is not a big deal, thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern." Qin Huaidao said politely, then changed the topic: "Uncle, the price of food must be brought down, otherwise the people will be in hardship, and I will feel uneasy."
"I'm interested. I and the Holy One have also studied it, but it's not easy to bring down the price of food. The food is all in the hands of grain merchants. Behind the grain merchants are aristocratic families. Unless we use the reserve military rations, the risk is too great. We can't do it unless it is a last resort."
Fang Xuanling said, with a hint of helplessness on her face.
Qin Huaidao asked: "There is no food in all the counties in Jingzhao Prefecture?"
"Not much. It's not a big problem to maintain this county. No county has the spare capacity to support Chang'an. My dear nephew, what do you want to say?" Fang Xuanling asked back, becoming interested, and looked at Qin Huaidao with a little more expectation in his eyes.
Qin Huaidao asked bluntly: "Shibo, if we go to the counties of Jingzhao Prefecture to purchase grain, can each county purchase more than 10,000 shi?"
"It's a bit difficult. It's not that the purchase of less than 10,000 stones of grain is possible, but that the aristocratic families will intervene. They want the price of grain in Chang'an to rise, and they don't want other grain to come in. The grain merchants are all working together, and it's not just a case of jointly raising prices.
"Fang Xuanling explained, showing a bit of helplessness and a bit of resentment.
"Shibo misunderstood. Instead of looking for grain merchants to collect it, he asked counties to collect it from the private sector. The private sector had some surplus grain. They sold it to grain merchants at a price of three to five cents. The merchants transported the grain to Chang'an and sold it at a price of ten cents.
, netting double the profit, if the counties assist and purchase from the private sector at a price of six cents, can they receive grain?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"There is absolutely no problem with six cents. I have checked. Recently, the purchase price of grain dealers in various places is four cents per dou. There are people who really buy six cents per dou. No one is willing to sell to the grain dealers. They are afraid that the grain dealers will also rush to buy at the price of six cents and drive up the price."
What to do about commodity prices?" Fang Xuanling asked. As Minister Zuopushe, he is very familiar with people's livelihood issues.
Qin Huaidao said seriously: "It doesn't matter, we can sell it in lieu of tax."
"What does it mean to sell in lieu of tax?" Fang Xuanling asked curiously.
Qin Huaidao explained: "The people have to pay taxes on grain every year. As long as they sell a dou of grain to the court, the court will pay five cents, and they will pay a less tax of one dou of grain in the next year. Those who have surplus grain will use it. What does Shibo think of this?"
"Five cents per dou is already higher than the market price, and you can pay less tax by one dou. Of course, the people are rushing to do such a good thing. The question is how to solve the other dou in the future, and what should we do if grain dealers raise prices? What's more, if you buy one dou for five cents
The price of a bucket is not low. Now that the weather is freezing, transportation costs have increased significantly. The cost to Chang'an is sixty-seven cents..."
Qin Huaidao interrupted with a smile: "Don't worry, uncle, even if the grain dealers raise the prices, they can't get the people to sell the surplus grain to each other, because the court only needs grain for taxation, not silver, and the people are simple-minded and will worry about the harvest not being enough next year.
, you have no food to pay taxes, and you have no bottom with your money, why not sell it to us to save a bushel of tax, and still get five cents and feel at ease, right?"
"That's right, the acquisition problem is solved, what about the other fight?" Fang Xuanling asked.